[nylisa]

When I hit 250 in May 2004 & realized I had to do something, I started with walking from my car to the ferry parking lot instead of taking the shuttle. And even that brief, 10 minute walk was hard. I could only last 20 mins on an exercise bike.

But keep up with it, you will get to like it. This am, I woke up at 5:30 am and debated sleeping in because I'd gone to bed a bit later last night. I wanted to exercise more than I wanted to sleep in. Never thought I'd say that, as it literally took me years to get to that point. This morning, I went to the gym, did the circuit area with weights and then did 40 mins on an Arc Climber set to level 9.

A few tips:

1) if you haven't already, set your workout to music, that helps so much. My halfway to goal reward was a mp3 player and I've created playlist just for workouts

2) stretch before/after, that may help with the soreness

3) Consistency is key. We're in this for the long haul. Any exercise is better than none. When you feel like just blowing off the workout because "it's only [insert time or effort level here] and I should really be doing [insert time or effort level here]" remind yourself that establishing/maintaining the exercise habit is really the most important goal of exercise, not a specific activity.

4) Mix it up with some variety. And vary your walking route if it's safe to do so.

5) A nice hot bath is a good reward for exercising & it helps with the muscles. Some of my minigoal rewards have been bath products.

An interesting point re: the extra weight we carry around. On Celebrity Fit Club, at the end, they have the contestants do tasks they did at the beginning & note the improvement in distance jumped, situps, running. And they have simulated fat which weighs what the contestants have lost. They have them run with it to demonstrate the extra stress that puts on breathing, bones & joints.

[sidhe]

Who says you have to start walking at 3.0, for 30 minutes? It's totally okay to start slower, and start shorter. I am not trying to minimize in any way the effort you have put in thus far, I think it's great! But you shouldn't be this uncomfortable, from an emotional/mental perspective, either.

The human body is designed to move. At it's most basic, the body is a combination of levers and joints that are designed to bend and straighten. That being said, no two bodies have the same weight, same endurance, same nerve pressure points, same heartbeat. Every body is a little bit different. It's ENTIRELY okay to move YOUR body the way YOU feel best.

Maybe walking right now isn't for you. You've tried it, so try something else! What about water exercises? Dancing? Yoga? Pilates? Ellipticals (if you have access to them) at the lowest setting? Maybe a bike around the block? Move your body in whatever way you want. It doesn't matter HOW you move, just that you do. Stay just this side of pain, and it will get easier. I promise!

[Trazey34]

I just watched a taped episode of "the biggest loser" NO SPOILERS!!! and they gave them a triathalon to do -- they did spin bikes for 20k, then RUN 3K on a treadmill then swim 1 k in a pool !!!

they showed them all when they arrived -- one guy was a hundred pounds heavier and could barely get up off the couch and here he is going for 24K shows there's HOPE for everyone!! and that includes US! yay!

[appleofmyeye08]

Yes exercising is hard and sometimes boring or so I thought. About a month or two ago I purchased a Walk Away the Pounds video by Leslie Sansone and let me say I am hooked. The first dvd I tried was a 1 mile walk and it about killed me. Now I am doing her 3 mile advanced walk at least 5 days a week. Will be looking to purchase her 4 or 5 mile dvd real soon.

Keep pushing at it, it will be come fun!!

Jen

[Booskie]

I had much of the same experience you did, and I can honestly say it does get better. When I started this journey in late July this year I could barely walk at all let alone do it for exercise. I started slowly but yes it was extremely painful at times.

Like some of the others, I use Leslie Sansone's videos and they make exercising fun for me. I do from 3 to 6 video miles six days a week now and I'm hooked on exercise. Even though I'm nowhere near my goal weight I feel fit and I can out walk my daughter who is in her 20s. I never thought I'd hear her tell me to slow down

Just take it at your own pace and if you keep at it, I bet you'll find you like it..especially when you start seeing the great benefits Just measure your progress based on where you started and what feels right for you, not on what someone else thinks is normal. And don't get discouraged you are doing great and you should give yourself a big pat on the back!

Take care,

Teri

[Smiling_Sara]

Originally Posted by CountingDown

Yes, it is a good kind of sore. And, yes it will get easier. And yes, you CAN do this! You WILL do this, You ARE doing this, and you should be so PROUD of yourself! Hang in there!

One of my turning points was after a fall, I bruised my knee and for months I had a hard time walking. When we visited our children in Oakland, I had a terrible time walking a mile up and down those hills. I vowed that the next visit (next month) would be a different story. I have been walking and exercising since June, and now, 5 miles with "Leslie" is fun. Walking our tallest hill in town can be done at a fast clip (before I had to rest after two blocks). Slowly, steadily, I have made progress. I can't wait to go see the kids and "show off".

However, you want to try to find something you enjoy. What about other forms of exercise? If you are going to do this for the "long haul" you want to have as much fun as possible. I love dance videos, yoga and weightlifting. What else have you tried?

well, it's hard to excersize at home bc my apt is to small, so I go to a workout center. That is pretty small too, but they have various machines and weights. So, usually my workout contains at least 30 minutes on treadmill, I can only go at about 3.3. I may be able to start out a little faster, but I am afraid of breaking the machine bc of how heavy I still am, but I can run, just not long. Then I hit difft weight machines doing about 30lbs and doing 3 reps of 10, on probably 5 difft machines. I've thought about doing the situp machine, but i'm still pretty embaressed about my stomach sticking out while laying down, so I've avoided that machine, not to mention that a couple ppl have told me I should do situps until my stomach is smaller bc you'll work your musceles at this size and it will make it harder to lose weight. ( not sure if there is any truth to that though.

[nelie]

You should definitely do muscle strengthening exercises such as crunches (avoid sit-ups) and weights.

At my highest weight, I loved to walk, I'd go for 5 mile walks and think nothing of it. I wasn't the fastest though and I didn't do it daily. Well I have to say that I never realized how hard it was on my body until I started losing weight. Walking has become so much easier now that I weigh less and now that I do it on a regular basis. I walk every day as well as do weights.

It gets easier, trust us

[L144S]

I think you should be proud of yourself for gettin out there and moving! It is a huge component to WL and lifestyle change. let yourself feel good about the accomplishment!

Also find whatever motivates you to move and do what you can. I like to listen to books www.audible.com and i find a good book helps me walk longer
My other favorite site is www.gmped.com find your neigborhood and map out some walks and make it a fun challange instead of one you dread...

[Smiling_Sara]

*sigh* Is this really correct? I walked 35 minutes tonight. Said calories burned was 120. No, that isn't a typo. You'd think walked 1.5 miles would burn a lot more calories.

[sidhe]

Originally Posted by BornToFly

*sigh* Is this really correct? I walked 35 minutes tonight. Said calories burned was 120. No, that isn't a typo. You'd think walked 1.5 miles would burn a lot more calories.

Machine programs that tell you the calories burned aren't generally very accurate. Even if you put your weight in, there are still other factors that are individual to you--how your body moves, how efficient that movement is, how much muscle you have, when you last ate, all sorts of things. Just give yourself a gold star for getting out and exercising at all! don't worry about calories burned. You moved around, so you DID burn some!

[Smiling_Sara]

Originally Posted by sidhe

Machine programs that tell you the calories burned aren't generally very accurate. Even if you put your weight in, there are still other factors that are individual to you--how your body moves, how efficient that movement is, how much muscle you have, when you last ate, all sorts of things. Just give yourself a gold star for getting out and exercising at all! don't worry about calories burned. You moved around, so you DID burn some!

Thanks. I usually don't put my weight in. I just press start and go. I guess I just worry about how many calories burned bc they say the more you burn the more you lose, ( how truthful that is, I don't know ) and I would of thought that in 35 minutes of walking one would lose more than just over 100 calories, that's like a piece of my toast. lol

[sidhe]

Originally Posted by BornToFly

Thanks. I usually don't put my weight in. I just press start and go. I guess I just worry about how many calories burned bc they say the more you burn the more you lose, ( how truthful that is, I don't know ) and I would of thought that in 35 minutes of walking one would lose more than just over 100 calories, that's like a piece of my toast. lol

Oh, if you didn't put your weight in it's REALLY inaccurate! The machines are programmed, generally, with a weight of 145-150 lbs (for women) and 180-190 (for men), if I remember rightly. I guarantee you that you burned more than 120 calories in 35 minutes. And yes, you lose more weight if you burn more calories. But it's not an exact science--no body EVER works strictly by the numbers.

Why not count minutes? Or miles travelled? That would be much more reinforcing.

[L144S]

Originally Posted by BornToFly

I just worry about how many calories burned bc they say the more you burn the more you lose, ( how truthful that is, I don't know )

It is truthful, the longer you move the more you burn the more you lose. BUT you will also gain muscle mass which is denser (sp) by the pound, a pound of feathers weighs the same as a pound of bricks, one has less volume.

I personally don't count much besides the miles I walk, yes walk, i don't run, I do swim and I count an hour at the gym as 3 miles.

I would hope yo might create your own challange, and reach for a goal for the next month and feel good about whatever the goal might be. pants fitting better, writting down what you eat, or clocking some time moving....
again, good luck!